Top 60 Log Management Tools [2024]

What is a log file?

A log file is a file that records various events, activities, or messages generated by a software application, operating system, or other system components. Log files are essential for monitoring and troubleshooting the behaviour of systems and applications. They provide a historical record of events that can be useful for diagnosing problems, auditing activities, and understanding system behaviour.

1. Scalyr

Scalyr’s integrated service platform is built to allow engineers to process terabytes of data rapidly for root cause analysis and error resolution. Customers may have to watch out for the platform's tendency to use automated billing. If you go over your contracted data limits unexpectedly the cost associated with exceeding your data limits will be added by default to your bill for that month.

A solution that offers overusage limits as standard (such as Logit.io) would provide more of a safeguard against being overcharged for an unexpected data spike.

Key Features:

• No query language expertise required
• Parallel cloud compute infrastructure
• NoSQL columnar database.
• Metrics analysis
• Fast log search

2. Splunk

Splunk not only provides log management as a service but also offers SIEM primarily for enterprise users. You can find out more about what is SIEM here. Their platform is well known among engineers for its use for large scale projects (for example, organisations that have to manage over 200,000 devices).

In terms of pricing, some estimates that were recently discussed on a community board for the platform said that $770 per ingested GB per month is a ballpark figure which gives you an idea of this cost for using this platform (not including any minimum ingestion requirements).

Key Features:

• Infrastructure monitoring
• Collect and index data
• Analyse and monitor
• Application delivery
• Compliance
• Alerts

3. Datadog

Datadog's log management solution allows users to decouple log ingestion from indexing for effective parsing, archiving and monitoring. The solution also includes metrics management, application analysis, synthetics monitoring and an additional monitoring service for on-premise role-based devices.

Datadog's APM users rate the platform highly for its ability to collect and ingest many different data sources as well as its excessive number of data points which inform intuitive dashboard generation.

Key Features:

• Continuous profiler
• Session replay
• CI visibility
• Serverless
• Notebooks
• Alerting

If you are interested in seeing more solutions like Datadog then why not read our guide comparing all of Datadog's competitors?

4. Sumo Logic

If a unified platform is required for analysing your metrics and logs then Sumo Logic's observability solution may be a good fit for this particular use case. Sumo Logic customers cite the main benefits of this tool being its strong querying language, scheduled queries and support for email alerts as well as Webhooks. One drawback that was mentioned is data ingestion can be somewhat delayed by up to five minutes.

Key Features:

• Unlimited queries
• Live streaming
• Log analytics
• 24x7 support
• Tracing
• Alerts
• SIEM

5. Archeo

Archeo gives new users access to a 30-day free trial in which they can send up to 100,000 log messages. The platform includes REST API access, free-text search and role-based access control (RBAC) which covers basic security considerations.

Key Features:

• Group and role-based access
• User-friendly web UI
• Easy access API
• Free text search
• Visual statistics

6. Logit.io

The Logit.io log management platform enables SRE teams at leading companies such as Maersk, IBM, Murphy Oil & Nikon to ensure complete observability of their operations and strengthen their security and alerting abilities.

The platform is built with high scalability in mind and saves engineers hundreds of hours every month, allowing them to get back to deploying code and transforming businesses faster as a result.

Alongside comprehensive log management, the platform is suitable for a variety of additional use cases including but not limited to; SIEM, APM, container monitoring, & deep metrics analysis.

The Logit.io platform also includes the following fully managed open source software: ELK, OpenSearch & Grafana dashboards.

Key Features:

• Unlimited users
• No vendor lock-in
• No data egress fees
• Overusage protection
• Easy to understand billing
• Autoscaling open platform
• Fully managed upgrade paths
• Two factor authentication (2FA)
• Enterprise uptime SLAs available to 99.999%
• Highly available data centres in EU, UK and US regions
• Approved by GOV.UK as a Platform As A Service (PaaS)
• Hot, warm, cold architecture with automated Elastic index management
• Authentication options including SSO, SAML, Google, Azure, Github, Email and more

7. Retrace by Stackify

Stackify's Retrace platform enables its users to proactively monitor applications and is used by engineers across both QA and production environments.

Their platform includes APM in addition to log management and is currently offering new users the chance to explore their premium offering of their code review tool, Prefix, for a limited time.

Key Features:

• Reporting on where your log messages originated in your code
• Combines log management and APM
• Colour-coding of logs
• Advanced logging
• Log analytics

8. Logz.io

The logging solution offered by Logz.io is built for scalability and enables its users to monitor logs for simplifying security. Their solution offers a selection of pre-built dashboards which give working examples to those that are new to the process of setting up impressive Kibana dashboards.

In terms of drawbacks, Logz.io was said to not be as fast on performance time as other proprietary solutions (such as Humio) by some users who had trialled the platform in recent years.

Key Features:

• Automatic parsing
• Log aggregation
• Volume analysis
• Sub accounts
• Log patterns
• Audit trail

9. Log Harvestor

Log Harvestor is a newer solution for log management that recently debuted on Product Hunt. As this platform is such a newcomer to the log management market they have launched a roadmap to keep users in the know with all of the upcoming developments coming to Log Harvestor soon.

Key Features:

• Multi-User
• Phone & Email Support
• Alerting & Expanded Analytics

10. Backtrace

Backtrace’s log management solution has primarily been built with game developers in mind. As a tool, Backtrace can be integrated with existing tools that you already use (including the aforementioned Datadog) and adds relevant context embedded side-by-side for improved troubleshooting of all your error logs.

Key Features:

• Advanced deduplication
• Command-line access
• Custom deployments
• Download dump files
• SSL Encryption

11. Dockter

If Docker log management is your primary requirement then Dockter’s low-overhead open-source solution may provide exactly what you need to solve this highly specific use case. Dockter can offer many of the features that other solutions previously cited boast, namely real-time aggregation, search and storage.

Key Features:

• Filter, sort, and manage logs
• Real-time aggregation
• Search, sort & filter
• Interactive GUI

12. Elysium Analytics

Elysium Analytics allows users to improve visibility of the signals of malicious user events and improve their ability to accurately triage data. Their solution is used by those in DevOps, IT-Ops and SecOps for ingesting structured and semi-structured data.

Elysium Analytics compresses ingested data by 70% to alleviate concerns that would have previously arisen for users who had to use an additional third party data storage solution for archiving their uncompressed data.

Key Features:

• Operational disturbances report
• Full-text search
• Data collection
• Alerting

13. Humio

Enterprise users that require large-scale logging may find Humio's log management platform to offer the scalability they require for effective data management. Unlike other platforms, Humio's dashboards are also able to harness Falcon data so that users can correlate and integrate this data alongside the rest of their system data.

Key Features:

• Storage optimisation
• Unlimited ingestion
• Index-free design
• Data streaming
• SIEM

14. Bulletlog

Bulletlog offers a data unification platform for collecting application logs, pinpointing debug issues and setting alerts. This Regiment.tech backed platform can also be used for simply tracking errors and offers users an alternative to hosting open-source logging software.

Key Features:

• Numerous framework integrations
• Slack and email notifications
• Error traceback
• 24X7 support
• Log Search

15. Zebrium

If you require a cloud-based log management tool that continually scans in the background for anomalies then Zebrium may be the right solution to capture your next software error.

The Zebrium platform has also recently launched its service as an on-premise VPC-deployable offering that can use the same machine learning technology from their original platform.

Key Features:

• Role-based-access-control (RBAC)
• Broad platform support
• ML-based structuring
• Regex Search

16. Netwitness

Netwitness’s log tracking software allows users to gain visibility and experience the benefits of SIEM and Open XDR within a single platform. This software solution is also classified as a forensics tool due to its strength in helping its users to demonstrate regulatory compliance for various security initiatives (including CMMC).

Key Features:

• Simplify Windows log monitoring
• Compliance support
• Flexible reporting
• Threat detection

17. Exambeam Log Management

Exambeam is another service provider that allows its users not only access to log search features but also SIEM and XDR in addition to threat detection, investigation and response (TDIR).

If you are new to the term “data lake” then be rest assured that by using Exambeam you can still benefit from features including; centralised logging, search, reporting and cloud storage options.

Key Features:

• Natural language querying
• Context-Aware log parsing
• Unlimited logging
• Data lake

18. ALog ConVerter

ALog ConVerter is a server log monitoring solution that doesn’t require agents to send logs from a variety of devices. It is essential to monitor servers and server logs over time so that you are able to see if your server's performance is degrading over time or is showing signs that a crash is imminent.

Key Features:

• Archiving & retention
• Compliance tracking
• Server monitoring
• Threshold alerts
• Event logs
• Audit trail

19. Motadata Log Management

Motadata’s event log scraping tool provides users with actionable insights across networks and infrastructure. Event log analysis often proves itself to be invaluable in the centralisation of information, audit, warning, error and failure events that are being recorded across distributed system architecture.

Key Features:

• Monitor multi-cloud environments
• Customisable retention
• Operational insights
• Correlate logs

20. CloudPhysics

CloudPhysics offers a log management application as part of their wider platform which specialises in providing analytics for virtual datacenters. This collaborative intelligence platform offers extensive support options and includes user access to a video tutorial channel and a well maintained knowledgebase.

Key Features:

• Help article knowledgebase
• Customize your data feeds
• Unlimited user accounts
• Analytics and reports

21. Corner Bowl Event Log Manager

Corner Bowl Event Log Manager provides a solution for SIEM, log management and uptime monitoring that has multiple options for support, including phone-based sessions. A platform such as Corner Bowl’s solution which is cross-compatible with a variety of use cases can prove itself to be of better value in the long term over solutions that only offer one service.

Key Features:

• Schedule compliance and auditing reports
• Azure Active Directory auditing
• Sends SMS and email alerts
• Windows event log viewer

22. Blesk

Blesk's network and event log monitoring tool is an on-premise ITSM suite that includes an event log manager alongside its features not monitoring both network traffic and application performance metrics.

To get started with Blesk you will need to ensure that you can meet the following minimum system requirements: Available memory - 8GB, Quad-core CPU processor and 80GB of free hard drive space.

Key Features:

• Port mirroring accompaniment
• Automated linear reports
• Device removal strategy
• REST API management
• NPM tree customization

23. Wrble

Wrble enables its users to ingest historical data by using their APIs to back-fill valuable logs and can also be used to ingest data across mobile, web & IoT devices. The platform offers limited API access and one-month raw retention for up to five users on their basic plan.

Key Features:

• Multiple searches of cohorts
• Near real-time querying
• Automated alerts

24. i-Vertix

i-Vertix caters to users that require a centralised logging solution that can be analysed in real-time for further improved data accuracy. Centralised logging is beneficial for engineers that want to view a single source of truth on the status of their systems and operating environments.

Key Features:

• Extract, transform and load
• Log normalisation
• Enriched logs

25. LogFusion Pro

LogFusion Pro is another real-time log management tool that enables users to benefit from customer highlighting rules, advanced filtering and search. LogFusion Pro has recently launched a new beta of their other service offering, DisplayFusion, and there is ongoing support to translate the existing LogFusion platform into 63 different language variations.

Key Features:

• Custom logging categories
• Sync highlight rules
• Row highlighting
• Log tail

26. Logiq.ai

LogIQ is used for large-scale log ingestion and offers users the ability to gain data EPS control in order to increase the quality and relevance of their data. Based upon the large minimum usage fee, small businesses may not find this platform to be their first choice as a log management solution. For enterprise customers who need to meet large data retention and ingestion requirements, this platform may likely fulfil their needs more closely.

Key Features:

• Detect and analyze threat patterns
• Holistic data visualisation
• Supercharged retention

27. Papertrail

Papertrail provides cloud-based log management for Sysadmins and DevOps that require seamless aggregation of their log files. This SolarWinds owned logging application is able to analyse WordPress logs, manage DigitalOcean applications and troubleshoot issues with Kubernetes.

Key Features:

• Create per-user access control policies
• Archive up to a year's worth of data
• Cron job monitoring
• Automate backups

28. Logtail

If being able to use SQL querying is a significant feature benefit then Logtail may offer the logging solution most suitable for your engineering team. Logtail is a relatively newer player in the log management market than many other solutions that have already been named in this article.

Key Features:

• SQL-compatible datastore
• Reporting dashboards
• Anomaly detection

29. Graylog

As an established log management solution, Graylog has been around for over a decade and offers both open and enterprise options to its users. Sysadmins may choose to use Graylog for the following alert monitors in order to streamline and protect their systems; alert on too many failed logins, alert if the domain admin account is accessed or modified, alert if users are added which have privileged access and alert upon account lockouts.

Key Features:

• Manage log collector configuration
• Fault tolerance
• Content packs
• SIEM

30. dbForge Transaction Log

If you are looking for a highly specific logging solution for simply handling SQL transaction logs then dbForge may be the tool most suited for this particular niche use case. The dbForge Transaction Log tool can display operations, transaction name, status, schema name, object name, event time and LSN in an easily viewable UI (user interface).

Key Features:

• Rollback database transactions
• Deleted record recovery
• View change history

31. Devo

Devo’s platform has been built to enable Cybersecurity professionals with the capacity to pinpoint threats within their logs and metrics. This cloud-native logging tool is highly recommended for helping users to demonstrate NIST 800-171 compliance (as is Splunk).

Key Features:

• Cloud-native logging solution
• Data management
• Threat detection
• Scalable

32. Exceptionless

Exceptionless makes identifying errors occurring within your applications easier by offering a platform for improved visibility. The Exceptionless logging solution even offers a live count of events ingested so far on their site.

Key Features:

• Intelligent grouping
• Error reporting
• Custom objects
• Easy setup

33. FrameFlow

The FrameFlow IT monitoring and logging system is used by IT leaders to improve the observability of routers, servers and various other IT assets. This system is often used for monitoring Windows event logs and reports can be configured to display only new event log records, logs matching alert criteria and is also able to export matching events to a SQL server database of your choice.

Key Features:

• System health event monitor
• MySQL event monitor
• Ping event monitor
• SNMP browser
• Email alerts

34. Observe

Observe provides users with structured logging management within an intuitive and responsive analytics dashboard. Their platform functionality also extends to include the management of metrics and traces to provide essential added context to your analysis.

Key Features:

• Observe structures
• Worksheets
• Alerting
• Portals

35. LogRhythm

LogRhythm’s logging analysis tool enables users to scale their data collection and analytics activities. LogRhythm also gives users the option to explore their NextGen SIEM platform for users with more demanding security requirements.

Key Features:

• Enforce continuous compliance
• Unstructured search
• Normalise log data
• Intelligent archiving
• Fast indexing

36. Logary

Logary offers an open-source logging solution that offers visibility on the performance of applications. Open source tools are often preferred over proprietary solutions due to being suited for speed, flexibility and their ability to attract talented contributors who are willing to invest time to maintain technology projects they are passionate about.

Key Features:

• App metric and log analysis
• Never throw exceptions
• F# idiomatic code

37. Loggly

Loggly’s server log management platform is another SolarWinds backed solution for ingesting data from a variety of sources. Loggly can be used across a large number of use cases including for Meteor, Java, IIS, Docker and Apache logging.

Key Features:

• Centralized log management
• Automated log summaries
• Custom derived fields
• Unlimited users
• Search & filters
• Email alerting

38. Cloudlytics

Cloudlytics is a cloud-agnostic platform that offers improved visibility of AWS, GCP and Azure infrastructure. Their log management features are most often used for compliance and auditing governance.

Key Features:

• 150+ native integrations
• Predefined dashboards
• Access management
• Asset monitoring

39. SenseLogs

SenseLogs is an open-source log library built for NodeJS serverless app logging. Logging libraries that are not built with serverless applications in mind may not be fast enough to meet the demands of this use case. Additional considerations also have to be made to consider factors such as reducing cold-start time and ensuring detailed context of logs is preserved.

Key Features:

• CloudWatch log viewer
• Blazing fast log library
• Flexible log channels
• TypeScript support
• Log sampling

40. Syslog-ng

Syslog-ng seeks to use log management to improve the performance of your current SIEM by improving the quality of data ingested for reporting, monitoring and alerting purposes The platform is built for big data ingestion and offers a number of ways for users to send their data from common sources such as Hadoop, MongoDB, Kafka and Elasticsearch.

Key Features:

• Open source log management
• tamper-proof storage
• Big data ingestion
• Optimise SIEM
• Rapid search

41. XpoLog

XpoLog is a log management and analysis platform that is built for transforming and optimising data streams from AI and machine learning applications, security platforms & IoT devices. Their new Logx offering aims to use anomaly detection for the discovery of previously unknown IT issues before they become critical incidents.

Key Features:

• Collect, parse, enrich & route log data
• Filter, extract & archive events
• Deep text inspection
• Ship data to ELK
• SIEM

42. Webspy Vantage

Vantage is a log reporting dashboard that allows engineers to design their own fully automated reports in order to deliver their data-driven insights to key decision makers and team members seamlessly. The release of Vantage 3.0 welcomes several improvements including faster reporting, a redesign of the UI and now also supports the sending of logs over SCP & SFTP.

Key Features:

• Internet usage reporting
• Automated reports
• SFTP support
• Import logs

43. SolarWinds Log Analyzer

Solarwind’s network log software allows users to use machine data for root cause analysis of many IT issues. The log file types their tool is able to handle include those from workstations, servers, IDS/IPS & firewalls.

Key Features:

• Storage resource monitor
• Application management
• Database management
• Network monitoring
• ITSM platform
• Log analyser
• IT Security

44. Goaccess

If you require a free log management tool built on open source software and don’t mind the additional cost of hosting the software in-house then the web log analyser offered by Goaccess may be the solution that best fits your requirements. The leading benefits of using this platform include; application response time tracking, incremental log processing and minimal configuration needed in order to get started.

Key Features:

• Minimal configuration
• Terminal dashboards
• Web log analyser
• HTTP statistics

45. Seagence

Seagence’s software logging tool offers a modern solution for defect monitoring and provides extensive detail into the debugging process, making it highly useful to Developers in need of effective troubleshooting. Their solution has also implemented machine learning (ML) to bring unique execution path technology to assist and power their real-time alerting feature.

Key Features:

• Source Integrations
• Detect defects
• Dashboards
• Alerting

46. Rookout

Rookout’s log aggregation tool is an intuitively designed service that enables users to not only stream logs but also engages a dynamic log verbosity filter for an improved level of control within filtering.

Key Features:

• Dynamic observability
• Git Integration
• Debug in live
• 24/7 support

47. Rapid7

Rapid7 provides log correlation tools that help its users to begin collecting and centralising their logs within five minutes. Rapid7’s offering of InsightOps takes care of the key functionality required of log management by allowing users to visualise, search, alert and generate on-demand log files from a variety of assets.

Key Features:

• Vulnerability management
• Application security
• Threat intelligence
• Orchestration

48. ERA Search

ERA’s log reading tool is built with the cloud in mind and as a result of this focus are able to provide petabyte-scale log analysis, management and ingestion to their platform users. Their storage boasts benefits from requiring zero schema and is highly configurable to any file type that you require secure storage of.

Key Features:

• 1y retention with an annual contract
• Zero schema storage
• Instant scaling

49. Chaossearch

The log processing tool provided by Chaossearch serves as yet another “data lake” based solution which is able to be used for not only IT monitoring but also for business intelligence (BI) purposes. The architecture of Chaossearch’s logging solution is built upon best in class open-source software such as Kibana (providing data visualisation capabilities) and Elasticsearch (as a search and storage backend).

Key Features:

• Unlimited data retention
• Kubernetes monitoring
• Unlimited queries
• Unlimited users
• Data refinery

50. ObservIQ

ObservIQ’s log file analysis tool provides intuitive data visualisations to developers that require fast setup, transparent pricing and effective log file processing as leading features in their solution of choice.

Key Features:

• 60+ data source integrations
• Open telemetry
• Alerting
• Live tail

51. Apex Software

This structured logging solution gives teams the ability to use rich queries, alerting and unlimited retention to manage their logs. Unfortunately, one drawback of this tool is that Apex does not provide hosting for this log parsing and processing platform.

Key Features:

• Flexible alerting integrations
• Unlimited log retention
• Uptime monitoring
• Structured logging

52. LogDNA

LogDNA’s logging platform provides a wealth of data source integrations for programming languages, platforms, operating systems & different Syslog types. The platform provides a complete solution to highlight the actionable insights from previously unstructured and disparate data sources from across your operating environment.

Key Features:

• Long-term retention
• Real-time streaming
• Index rate alerting
• Graph alerts
• Debugging

53. New Relic

New Relic offers a log management system that is compatible with sending logs from AWS & Microsoft Azure, among other leading cloud providers. The platform was initially created all the way back in 2008 which indicates that New Relic is a company with long term experience in the competitive market environment of log management.

Key Features:

• Proactive anomaly detection
• Incident intelligence events
• Unlimited querying
• Synthetics checks
• APM

54. WhatsUp Gold

Unlike some of the other tools cited, WhatsUp Gold’s log collection tool provides archiving in addition to the expected features of data ingestion and alerting. Being able to archive log data to a third party tool can help your organisation meet compliance requirements such as retention demands levied against those looking to meet CMMC or NIST compliance.

Key Features:

• Network monitoring
• Device card
• Log status
• Alerting
• Arching

55. Clone Systems

This log management solution provided by Clone Systems allows for the fast aggregation of log file data from numerous disparate sources. The platform makes creating a single portal for storing and analysing multiple log types intuitive and seamless. The Clone System’s UI is able to clearly display Hostname/IP, device type, host group, notification group, log heartbeat checks and log activity status in one of their sample reporting dashboards.

Key Features:

• Offsite long-term storage
• Real-time search
• Aggregate logs
• SOC triaging

56. Snare Solutions

Snare offers a log monitoring system that is most commonly used by MSPs, VARs and technology consultants. The centralised logging platform also enables out of the box compliance reporting so that their users can more readily demonstrate their compliance for several leading international standards.

Key Features:

• Group policy support
• Compliance reporting
• Centralised logging
• Authentication

57. LanScopeCat

LanScopeCat’s log file management solution is specifically built for managing operations logs to improve visibility for troubleshooting the root cause of errors and identifying security events. Their UI is fully capable of displaying the following event data; group and client name, logon user type, event time, activation time, event status and the name of the program running.

Key Features:

• Application usage management
• Print log management
• User activity report
• Monitor PC logs

58. InTrust

Quest’s InTrust platform offers comprehensive event log management but is primarily used to monitor user workstation and admin activity including logons and logoffs among other similar data types.

Key Features:

• Monitor user workstation activity
• Best practice reporting
• Centralise logs
• Alerting

59. LogicMonitor

LogicMonitor’s log visualisation tool is suitable for analysing and alerting upon many log files for a variety of sources including OS, MySQL and Tomcat logs. The platform caters to both MSPs & enterprise-level customers by offering fully automated hybrid monitoring for complex IT environments.

Key Features:

• Dynamic services monitoring
• Configuration monitoring
• Database monitoring
• Monitor 199 devices
• Dashboards

60. LogPoint

The LogPoint log tool offers centralised risk management features and can also be used as a SIEM solution for the early detection of suspected breaches. LogPoint’s recent technology acquisitions signify a move to add further functionality and features to their continuously evolving platform.

Key Features:

• Integration with 400+ data sources
• Log aggregation
• Community support
• Unlimited users
• SIEM

If you enjoyed this guide then why not check out our blog on open source SIEM or our blog all about Elasticsearch interview questions next?